Helena Tužinská

Description

Visiting Academic: Helena Tužinská, Associate Professor, Department of Archaeology and Cultural Anthropology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia

Activities:

1. Masterclass for Postgraduate Students, Staff (FoAHB) and Public:
Tužinská delivered a masterclass exploring interdisciplinary approaches to myths, rituals, and symbolic systems. This session, aimed at postgraduate students and academics, included Tužinská’s studies of Eastern European 19th century folk prose manuscripts and early prints. The session demonstrated how to approach myths and rituals as dynamic and culturally situated phenomena. Participants worked in groups using visual methods to analyse two naratives (The three Enchanted Princes and The Poor Son) The feedback was excellent and stimulated further exchange of the research of myths as well as transdisciplinary connections and collaborations.

2. Lecture on communicative space
This discussion focused on the unwritten norms of interpretation and interaction dynamics in Slovak state asylum settings, drawing on long-term ethnographic research involving asylum applicants, legal representatives, interpreters, and decision-makers. It highlighted how interpreters’ neutrality is shaped by structural and situational factors, with varied perceptions of communication ethics. The challenges of verifying understanding of complex legal language were noted, despite ethical discussions around neutrality. Recent plain language initiatives were explored as a way to improve clarity in informed consent, offering new insights from legal anthropology and the ethnography of communication.

3. The exchange of teaching methods and syllabi of relevant courses with Mr John Kilburn and Dr Ivan Tacey
Exploring design thinking and student-centered teaching methods.
Engaging in the translation and co-creation of pedagogical tools using creative research methods to enrich traditional anthropological approaches to myth and ritual analysis.
Preparing and testing experiential methods at both Comenius University and the University of Plymouth.
Investigating well-being through ritual theatre and educational practices with Dr. Andy Hickson and Natasha Broomfield, focusing on dramatherapy and situated knowledge.
Developing interactive illustrations to support art and health initiatives.
Applying ethnography as an evolving research method within the project.
Examining how to embed illustration research into the translation process of myths, emphasizing multivocality.
Experimenting with ways to tell stories that engage readers in multisensory and immersive ways.

Period	6 May 2025 → 9 May 2025
Visiting from	Comenius University (Slovakia)
Visitor degree	Associate Professor
Degree of Recognition	International